“Is that all for this meeting?” One asked, looking up and down the table with his naturally intense gaze.

I have news from the Information Sector. Hoarfrost jumped slightly. The words had spoken directly into his mind.

“You may proceed, Six,” One said.

Six drummed his fingers on the table. He was a tall, pale man in a fedora. The Oracle has spoken a new major prophecy, he said telepathically.

The heroes exchanged grim glances with one another.

Six continued, It goes as follows: As above, so below. As new heroes rule the earth, old ones stirr in shadow. Justice and death entangle in sorrow. The world’s bells toll to the laughs of the Psycho.

The heroes sat in grave silence for a moment.

“What do you think of it, Thirteen?” One said, looking at the man at the back, “You seem to have realized something.”

Thirteen had the grimmest expression of all. His eyes were distant and his fists were clenched. The morbid aura he gave off made Hoarfrost shiver slightly.

“I need to think about it,” Thirteen said darkly, “But I suspect it has to do with Kairon.”

“I see,” One said, “‘The Psycho does seem like a very specific reference to him. If he really was involved it might…”

Three cleared her throat, “If I may, we have Otto processing that information either way so there is no need to jump to conclusions before he gives us his analysis.” She looked at Thirteen significantly.

Thirteen didn’t return her gaze. He stood up and walked to the door, his distracted eyes revealing how deeply he was lost in thought.

“I’ll meet you when it’s time to go on the mission, Hoarfrost,” Thirteen said without turning around as he opened the double doors of the meeting room and left.

The heroes looked on as he left, then turned around and continued the meeting. The atmosphere was slightly darker and more foreboding as the hero's seemed to still ponder what the words meant. Hoarfrost scratched his head, looking at the door for a few more seconds with a puzzled expression, then looked back at Six as he continued speaking.

I have another piece of information, Six said, This one is just a warning that there have been inexplicable security breaches on the complex, so we should be on guard and report any unusual activity.

“Understood,” One said, “If that is all, then this meeting is dismissed.”

The heroes stood up and filed out. The morbid atmosphere dissipated as the heroes nodded to Hoarfrost as they left, wished him good luck, or tentatively welcomed him to the Twelve.

Three heroes were left standing around Hoarfrost: Nine, Ten, and Eleven.

Eleven was a strong-looking hero with his uniform unbuttoned. He whistled and clapped Hoarfrost on the back, “Fresh blood, huh. Awesome that we got some new firepower.”

Hoarfrost smiled awkwardly, “Yeah…”

Nine, a man with dark skin and a lean build, chuckled, “Forgive him. What he’s trying to say is we’re glad to see you join our group mission team. You see, the Twelve is split up into three consistent groups so we can build efficient teamwork. Team A is One to Four, Team B is Four to Eight, and Team C is the last four, which is us.”

Ten, a woman with long dark hair, smiled brightly, “We’ve heard great things about you, Hoarfrost.”

“Thanks,” Hoarfrost said, “I look forward to working with you too… but is it really okay to welcome me before I’ve even finished my trial?”

Nine shrugged, “If you’ve gotten this far, you’ve basically already made it, right? The trial is not so much as something to kick you out of the League, but more to throw you straight into the water to get you swimming as fast as possible.”

Eleven laughed, “Think about it, no matter how surly that Thirteen is, even he isn’t going to fail you if the world already nominated you to be part of the League. Like Nine said, you have what it takes, you just have to put it into practice. I haven’t heard of anyone who was accepted into the League and still failed the trial.”

“Ah… if I failed that would make me something like the first, huh? And the whole world will know about it…” Hoarfrost muttered.

“Now, now, you’ll be fine! You’re really strong after all, even for a member of the Twelve,” Ten said.

Hoarfrost smiled and nodded. They’re right, he thought, I got this far knowing I could do it, why would I fail now at the last step?

The four of them talked for a couple more minutes. Then he said goodbye to Nine, Ten, and Eleven and they left, saying they would meet again soon.

“What do you think of your teammates, Hoarfrost?” A deep voice said from the other side of the room at the windows. It was One. The large man turned to look at Hoarfrost with his piercing blue eyes as he spoke.

“I admired them from afar for a while, but when I saw them up close as partners, they seemed… more reliable, more genuine than I imagined. I’m glad they’re my teammates.” Hoarfrost said honestly.

One nodded, then continued talking as he walked up to Hoarfrost, “Good. Coordination and trust between teammates are crucial.”

They then stood face to face. One towered over the slight Hoarfrost with his powerful, broad build. Up close, Hoarfrost realized One had a surprising amount of scars on his arms and even on his face.

One’s most striking feature, however, though, was the intensity of the direct weight of his gaze. Hoarfrost found it uncomfortable to meet his eyes but also found he couldn’t look away. It was as if he was paralyzed by the power of One’s stare.

His presence alone is overwhelming, Hoarfrost thought. Watching videos of him doesn’t even convey one percent of the aura he gives off in person…

One grabbed Hoarfrost by the shoulders with his large hands and kept looking straight into his eyes and spoke.

“Excuse me for my forwardness Hoarfrost, but as the Leader of the Ultimate League, I have a ritual where I confirm important values in new recruits. Will you humor my speech?”

It wasn’t really a question. Hoarfrost nodded woodenly.

“The reality of this world, Hoarfrost, is that those who have the power make the rules. It doesn’t matter how many millions, or even billions, of people disagree. If someone has the power to get what they want, they can get it, and no amount of protest can stop them from physically seizing their goal.

“That is why we, the Ultimate League, have banded together as the absolute world power with the goal of maintaining order and peace in the world. We choose to use our power to keep all other powers in check in order to give the powerless the freedom to live how they choose.

“This is the mission statement of the Ultimate League, so of course you’ve heard of it, but do you really understand what that means Hoarfrost? Do you know how to live for the sake of billions of strangers and never be corrupted by your own desires? Do you know how to take on the weight of the world’s expectations when making every life and death decision on the field?”

Hoarfrost looked into One’s eyes and realized there was a purity and a strength there that he didn’t have.

“You’re right,” Hoarfrost said quietly, “I’ve heard the mission statement, but I don’t understand it well enough to live it as you and the rest of the Twelve do.”

“Let me tell you the secret, Hoarfrost,” One said, “The secret of what the trial to becoming a true member of the Twelve really is… ”

“It’s actually quite simple; you must be ready to sacrifice everything to fulfill your role as a member of the Twelve. Your possessions, your personal ideals, your loved ones, and your life… everything. Your reason to serve and your resolve must be strong enough to do that. I am now asking for the final time, do you have what it takes to become Twelve, Hoarfrost, or do you want to back out?”

Sacrifice everything… Do I really have what it takes to do that? Hoarfrost thought, breaking his eye contact with One as he looked at his feet.

Then he remembered what Eleven had said: “You have what it takes, you just have to put it into practice.”

My teammates were encouraging me, Hoarfrost realized, They knew I was about to have this talk with One.

Hoarfrost had to stop himself from smiling from the sudden rush of confidence he felt.

I got tangled up for a moment, but deep inside, I always knew I had what it takes, Hoarfrost thought, Not to just become Twelve, but to become the people’s greatest hero. That’s why I’m here.

“I have what it takes to become Twelve,” Hoarfrost said, meeting One’s eyes with confidence, “I hesitated for a moment in answering, sir, but I won’t hesitate at all when it comes time to sacrifice what I need to.”

“Good,” One said, nodding and letting go of Hoarfrost’s shoulders, “You have a good look in your eyes. You’ll become a fine member of the Twelve in no time.”

“Thank you, sir,” Hoarfrost said.

“Now,” One said, “Follow me. There’s a lot you need to learn about the Ultimate League complex before you head to your mission briefing for your trial.”